Apple pips its rivals with the iPod that talks — FROM Walkman to Talkman. Not content with changing the world's music-listening habits, Apple has come up with another innovation: the talking iPod. — A new generation of machines will use sophisticated software to convert the names of bands …

Teenagers used to push Zango on Myspace? — Wouldn't it be nice if someone found a network of websites apparently designed to do nothing else but spread Adware around Myspace? Not only that, but get the innocent end-users themselves to do the job of pushing that Adware for the guy making all the money …

How To Tweak Firefox 2.0 Beta 1 — Firefox 2.0 Beta 1 is scheduled for release on Tuesday but there are some things that I want to show you before you start using it. Things like removing the red "X" from each tab or maybe only placing a red "X" on the current tab.

Are Tape Backup systems obsolete? — One of the most tedious and complex jobs in the world of IT is data backup. Not only is it complex, but the use of mechanical Tape loaders make the system very prone to breakage and the Tapes themselves are not very durable and must be discarded on an annual or at least on a biannual basis.

Parents turn to tech toys to track teens — Paige White was surprised when her parents figured out soon after she started driving last year that she'd gone 9 miles to a party, not 4 miles to the friend's house she'd told them she was visiting. It seemed to her almost as if her car was bugged.

DLink's Introduces New VoWiFi Phone — WiFi phones are essentially changing the home-phone landscape, bringing cellular portability and cool into a realm that was once owned by the Bells and later folks like Con-Air and Coby (see: $9.99 special phones at your local drug store).

Whither Television Programming? — As a follow up to our previous post on TV network activity on the Internet and through iTunes, we've further explored television programming and how it's playing out on the web beyond the major networks. — I will steer clear of yahoo, google, youtube …

Lotus Notes tuned for Linux — IBM plans to unveil on Monday a version of its Lotus Notes desktop collaboration software for Linux. — Lotus Notes on Linux 7.0.1, which will be generally available July 24, is based on the Eclipse open-source framework. That technology will also be used …

Venzero adds lilOne to the "One" collective — So you think the 8GB Venzero One is too bulky and/or expensive (289 Euro)? Not quite satisfied with the MiniOne's price point (119-169 Euro) or capacity range (1 and 2GB)? Well, apparently Venzero has you covered on this one too.

First Pong Clock in the wild! — On saturday, the 8th of July 2006, I received my Pong Clock, designed by Dutch Designers 'Buro Vormkrijgers'. Fresh out of the box, an impression (click on images for bigger view): — Update: — Tech Blog has put the news on their blog (tnx, guys!):

How a Computer Knows What Many Managers Don't — IF movies like "2001: A Space Odyssey" and "The Matrix" are any indication, humans are not comfortable with the idea of artificial intelligence controlling their fate. — So why ever trust a computer model to run your investments?

Death by Wikipedia: The Kenneth Lay Chronicles — The surprise death of Kenneth L. Lay last week did more than throw a monkey wrench into the government's plans to jail and fine the Enron Corp. founder. It further exposed the critical weakness of Wikipedia that prevents it from becoming …

Nine Chicago Startups Present at Tech Cocktail — The first TECH cocktail event took place on July 6 in Chicago at STATE Restaurant and Café. The event featured Stormhoek South African wine and united over 225 Midwest participants — including venture capitalists, entrepreneurs, developers and tech enthusiasts.